THE OLDEST PUBLIC CLOCK IN PARIS

                                         

     

                                               

                                              

                                          

A CHANCE ENCOUNTER WITH TIME : MY AFTERNOON  AT THE HORLOGUE  DU PALAIS DE LA CITE

I visited Sainte-Chapelle today, and the moment I crossed the bridge onto Île de la Cité, my eyes fell on this wonderful clock. There it was on the corner of the Conciergerie. The Horloge du Palais de la Cité. I had walked past photos of it online, yet nothing prepared me for the scale and the detail in person. The blue and gold face caught the midday sun, and the two statues seemed to watch the boulevard with solemn patience. I must have been staring, because a Vietnamese tourist who looked friendly noticed and came over. He had a small notebook in hand and spoke excellent English. With a smile, he pointed out that this was  Paris’s oldest public clock, first installed in 1371 for King Charles V. He explained how the single hand was original to its medieval design, because minute hands were not added to clocks until much later. I had assumed the missing minute hand meant it was broken. He laughed kindly and told me it was still wound by hand every week, and that it had been telling the time for Parisians for more than six hundred years. We stood there together for a few minutes, both of us looking up, whilst the traffic of the Boulevard du Palais flowed around us. His enthusiasm was infectious, and before he left to meet his tour group, he insisted I notice the two figures. Law on the left with her tablets, Justice on the right with her scales and sword. I thanked him, and the encounter shifted my whole afternoon. I had come for Sainte-Chapelle, but I realised I was now chasing the story of this clock.

After he left, I found a bench across the street and decided I needed to know more, so I gathered further information from other sources. I pulled up the Conciergerie’s official history on my phone and read about the 1585 reconstruction under Henri III. The version I was looking at was not the original 14th-century mechanism, although the purpose remained the same. It was meant to bring order to the city and to the courts housed inside the Palais de la Cité. The detail that struck me most was the heraldry at the top. The combined coats of arms of France and Poland sit beneath a crown, with a prominent “H” monogram for Henri III. I had forgotten he was elected King of Poland in 1573 before he inherited the French throne in 1574. The clock face was therefore a piece of royal propaganda in gilt and stone, declaring his double monarchy to anyone who passed. The sculptures I had admired were by Germain Pilon, one of the French Renaissance masters. Knowing the name made them feel more immediate, as if I could trace the chisel marks from the 1580s. Then there were the Latin inscriptions. The upper one reads "QVI DEDIT ANTE DVAS TRIPLICEM DABIT ILLE CORONAM" ,  meaning “He who has already given him two crowns will give him a third.” It is a bold bit of flattery, suggesting God would grant Henri III yet another kingdom. The lower inscription was even better. "MACHINA QVAE BIS SEX TAM JVSTE DIVIDIT HORAS JVSTITIAM SERVARE MONET LEGES QVE TVERI" that translates as “This machine which so justly divides the hours into twice six teaches us to uphold justice and observe the laws.” I read it twice, because it links timekeeping directly to the work of the Palais de Justice behind it. The clock was not just telling the hour. It was issuing a public instruction to the magistrates, lawyers, and citizens below. The background of deep azure with gold fleur-de-lis, restored in 2012, made the whole composition feel heraldic and alive. I sat there piecing it together, grateful for the friendly stranger who had given me the first thread.

The more I learned, the more the location made sense. Sainte-Chapelle, the Conciergerie, and the Horloge are all remnants of the medieval Palais de la Cité, once the primary residence of the Kings of France. Standing at that corner, I was essentially in the courtyard of a royal palace that had been converted into a courthouse after the Revolution. The chapel was Louis IX’s private place of worship, built to house the Crown of Thorns. The Conciergerie became a prison, and the clock became a witness to both splendour and suffering. It marked the hours for Marie Antoinette during her final days, and for countless others during the Revolutionary Tribunal. Thinking about that whilst looking up at the gilded face was sobering. The single hand had swept past those moments without comment, just as it swept past me today. I noticed how the clock anchors the north-east corner, greeting everyone who crosses Pont au Change from the Right Bank. You cannot enter Île de la Cité that way without meeting the gaze of Law and Justice. In a city full of monuments, this one feels functional and moral at once. It is still part of the working Palais de Justice, and barristers in black robes still hurry beneath it on their way to court. The 2012 restoration ensured the gold leaf and polychromy were crisp, but the message is unchanged from 1585. Time is not neutral here. It is tied to justice, to law, and to the idea that a well-ordered society depends on both. I left as the clock showed just past three, its solitary hand pointing solidly between III and IV. I had come to see a chapel and discovered a philosophy of time instead. My Vietnamese friend was right to stop. Without him, I might have walked past, as so many do. Because of him, I will always remember that my visit to Sainte-Chapelle began with stained glass and ended with a lesson from the oldest public clock in Paris.

( Avtar Mota )

CHINAR SHADE by Autarmota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 India License.

Based on a work at http:\\autarmota.blogspot.com\.

THE WALLACE FOUNTAINS OF PARIS : CAST-IRON CHARITY IN THE CITY OF LIGHT

                                            

THE WALLACE FOUNTAINS OF PARIS : CAST-IRON CHARITY  IN THE CITY OF LIGHT

In Paris, the small dark-green fountains with four caryatids are as much a part of the streetscape as Haussmann’s boulevards or Morris columns. Yet behind their familiar silhouette lies a Victorian story of war, philanthropy, and public health. Commissioned in 1872 by the British art collector Sir Richard Wallace, over 100 of these cast-iron fountains still give free drinking water to Parisians and visitors alike. Though most remain the original British Racing Green, a handful have different  colour including the striking red fountain on Avenue d’Ivry. Here is their story.

A Philanthropist’s Response to the Siege of Paris

The Wallace fountains were born from crisis. During the 1870–71 Franco-Prussian War and the Siege of Paris, the city’s aqueducts were damaged and water became scarce. The poor suffered most, often forced to buy expensive wine because clean water was unavailable. Richard Wallace, heir to the Marquess of Hertford’s fortune and a resident of Paris, funded 50 drinking fountains for the city. His brief to the sculptor Charles-Auguste Lebourg was clear: make them beautiful, robust, inexpensive, and useful. 

The first was installed on Boulevard de la Villette in August 1872. Wallace’s gift was deliberately civic rather than commemorative ;  no plaques bearing his name were required. The fountains were to be “at the will of the public”, placed in squares and at busy crossroads by Eugène Belgrand, the city’s hydraulic engineer under Haussmann. Today, there are 108 in Paris, and they run from mid-March to mid-November. 

 Anatomy of an Icon: The Four Models

Not all Wallace fountains are identical. Four main models were cast by the Val d’Osne foundry: 

(1)Large model: 2.71 m tall, 610 kg.

 The most famous. Four caryatids support a pointed dome decorated with dolphins. The women represent Kindness, Simplicity, Charity and Sobriety : virtues Wallace thought necessary after the Commune. They also embody the four seasons.

(2) Wall-mounted model: 

A half-fountain fixed to buildings, used where pavement space was tight.

(3) Small model:

 1.32 m, push-button, found in parks and gardens. Familiar to Parisian parents and children.

(4) Colonnade model: 

Cheaper to produce, the caryatids replaced by columns. Only two survive: Rue de Rémusat and Avenue des Ternes. 

All were cast iron for durability and painted dark green : unobtrusive, practical, and distinctly Parisian. Tin cups once hung on chains for communal use, were removed for hygiene reasons in the 1950s.

 From British Racing Green to Parisian Rainbow

For a century, green was law. But since the 2000s, the Mairie de Paris has allowed colour variations in the 13th arrondissement to reflect the neighbourhood’s character. The district’s Chinatown and street-art culture made it the canvas for a quiet rebellion. 

The most photographed is the large model painted red on Avenue d’Ivry*, in the Les Olympiades quarter. It sits in Paris’s Chinatown, and red was likely chosen as an auspicious colour in Chinese culture. This is almost certainly the “red fountain of Yanf feres” the user refers to — “Yanf feres” appears to be a mishearing or misspelling of “Avenue d’Ivry” or possibly “Olympiades/Chinatown”. There is no fountain officially named for a “Yan Feres” in Paris. The red Avenue d’Ivry fountain is well documented by photographers and the St. Olaf College photo contest.

Other colours exist: shocking pink on Rue Jean-Anouilh, yellow on Esplanade Pierre-Vidal-Naquet near the Bibliotheque Francois Mitterrand, and blue on Rue Brillat-Savarin. Tourists now treat them as a “treasure hunt”. A white one briefly appeared in the 3rd arrondissement but was repainted green. 

The colour change doesn’t alter function , they still provide free, clean drinking water. But it does shift meaning. Green says “heritage”. Red, pink, yellow say “this neighbourhood is alive”.

 Placement, Politics, and Public Life

Belgrand’s rule was simple: put them where people are thirsty. That meant markets, squares, intersections, and near schools. You’ll find one by Shakespeare and Company, another on Pont Neuf, and several along the Canal Saint-Martin. 

Their placement reveals 19th-century Parisian politics. Haussmann had rebuilt Paris for air and light, but water for the poor was still an afterthought. Wallace’s fountains plugged that gap without shaming the state ,  private charity doing public work. Maintained by Eau de Paris,  each fountain is marked with the Paris seal. 

They’ve also become social objects. During Bastille Day 1911, crowds drank directly from them. In 2026, TripAdvisor reviewers still call them “quintessentially Parisian”. For street photographers, the red Avenue d’Ivry fountain against tower blocks and Asian shop signs has become an icon of multicultural Paris.

Free, Safe Drinking Water for All

The most enduring achievement of the Wallace fountains is not aesthetic but practical: they still deliver free, potable water. Maintained by Eau de Paris, the municipal water company, each fountain is connected to the mains and checked regularly for quality. The water is the same as that from Parisian taps : cool, treated, and perfectly safe to drink. In an era of plastic bottles and €3 mineral water, the fountains remain a quietly radical gesture. Tin cups on chains disappeared in the 1950s for hygiene, but the principle endures: no one should have to pay for a basic human need. During heatwaves, the city promotes the fountains as public-health infrastructure, and signs reading 'Eau Potable' reassure visitors. Sir Richard Wallace’s 19th-century fix for cholera is now part of Paris’s climate adaptation plan.

What began as charity has become iconography. The dark-green caryatids feature in guidebooks, Instagram reels, and French-language textbooks. Tourists hunt them as if they were Pokémon: the classic large model by Shakespeare and Company, the rare colonnade version on Avenue des Ternes, and the photogenic outliers in the 13th. The red fountain on Avenue d’Ivry is now a destination in itself — framed by tower blocks and Chinese shop fronts, it captures the layered Paris of 2026 far better than the Eiffel Tower. Walking-tour companies run “Wallace hunts” in Belleville and Chinatown, and the fountains appear on postcards, tea towels, and enamel pins. Wallace wanted utility, but Paris has added mythology. The fountains are proof that public infrastructure, when done with artistry, becomes culture.

Where to Find Them

You are never far from a Wallace in central Paris. The highest concentration is in the 1st, 4th, 5th, 6th and 11th arrondissements — think Place Saint-Michel, Pont Neuf, the Jardin des Plantes, and Place de la République. The small push-button versions cluster in playgrounds and squares: Luxembourg Gardens, Parc Monceau, Square du Temple. If you want the colour variants, head to the 13th: red on Avenue d’Ivry near the Olympiades metro, pink on Rue Jean-Anouilh by the BnF, yellow on Esplanade Pierre-Vidal-Naquet, and blue on Rue Brillat-Savarin. Two colonnade survivors remain at Rue de Rémusat in the 16th and Avenue des Ternes in the 17th. Eau de Paris even publishes an interactive map, but part of the charm is stumbling across one ,  green or red  when you’re thirsty.

Legacy: More Than Street Furniture

The Wallace fountain is now shorthand for Parisian public good. It inspired copies worldwide, from Lisbon to New Orleans. Yet its real legacy is philosophical: beauty and utility need not be separate. Lebourg’s caryatids make a water tap into sculpture. Wallace proved philanthropy could be anonymous and still effective.

I saw a beautiful red fountain outside Tang Feres Asian Store  on Avenue d’Ivry when I went to buy some Lotus roots and collard greens .The fountain is still functional, same cast, same water, same virtues. The red paint doesn’t erase Kindness or Charity; it translates them for a new Paris.

So when you next see one, green or red, pause. The water is free, the cast iron is 150 years old, and the idea ; that a city should give its people clean water with dignity , is still radical.

( Avtar Mota )

CHINAR SHADE by Autarmota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 India License.

Based on a work at http:\\autarmota.blogspot.com\.

AMBRI APPLE OF KASHMIR AND PINK LADY OF FRANCE : CULTURES OF TASTE

                                            

       

( Ambri Apple of Kashmir)

                                          

                                      ( Ambri Apple)

AMBRI  APPLE OF KASHMIR AND PINK LADY OF FRANCE : CULTURES OF TASTE 

The search for sweetness is not universal in how it is defined or pursued. In Europe, apples are often treated as ingredients: roasted, stewed, or paired with honey, cheese and nut butters, which privileges texture, acidity and storage quality in breeding programmes. In much of India, and particularly in Kashmir, the apple is encountered raw, cut with a knife and eaten without accompaniment, a practice that elevates a different set of criteria: high fructose, minimal titratable acid, and intense aromatics. The Ambri of Kashmir exemplifies this preference. With its low acid profile, high soluble solids, and room-filling perfume, it represents a heritage selection calibrated to immediate, unmediated consumption. The Pink Lady of France, recommended to me during my search for sweet apples in Paris, reflects the other tradition. Bred for crispness, balanced acid-sugar ratio, and long shelf life, it performs well in European and American culinary contexts. Yet when judged by the Kashmiri standard of raw eating, even a premium Pink Lady at 5 euros per kilo registers as only moderately sweet, its higher malic acid and restrained volatiles marking the distance between two distinct cultures of taste.

Ambri of Kashmir

(1) Heritage, Season and Keeping Quality

The Ambri apple is one of the oldest indigenous varieties of Kashmir and is often called the pride of the valley. Unlike many commercial apples that are harvested in late summer, Ambri is a late-season cultivar. It is generally picked in late autumn, usually from late October into November, when the orchards in the valley have already sent off varieties such as Red Delicious and Golden Delicious. This late arrival on the market has historically made it a sought-after fruit for winter use. One of the most valued commercial traits of Ambri is its exceptional shelf life. In traditional Kashmiri households, the fruit was stored in wooden boxes layered with straw or newspaper and kept in cool cellars. Under such conditions, it can remain sound for several months without significant loss of texture or flavour. In modern cold stores with controlled atmosphere facilities, Ambri will hold its quality well into spring. The skin is semi-thick and taut, which helps reduce moisture loss and bruising, and this natural toughness contributes to its reputation as a long-keeping apple. Growers and traders often note that Ambri is one of the few local varieties that can be transported to distant markets with minimal spoilage, which is why it fetched a premium long before organised apple marketing arrived in the region.

(2) Aroma, Taste and Growing Regions

Ambri is immediately recognisable by its perfume. The fruit carries a strong, honeyed and subtly floral fragrance that is apparent as soon as the box is opened. In fact, a single box of Ambri can gently scent the room where it is kept, and this trait is part of its folklore in Kashmir. The aroma comes through in the taste as well. The flesh is ivory white, dense and crisp, with light juice and a fine-grained texture. Sugar levels are high, usually between 13 and 15.9 degrees Brix, but the titratable acidity is low. The result is a taste that is purely sweet, mellow and sugary, without the sharpness found in many modern varieties. There is almost no astringency, which makes it popular with children and older people who prefer a softer eating experience. While Ambri is native to the Kashmir valley and has been cultivated in areas such as Sopore, Shopian and Pulwama for centuries, its cultivation is not confined to the valley alone. The variety is also seen in the mid and high hills of Jammu division, notably in Bhaderwah, Bhalesa and Batote. The climate in these areas, with cool nights and warm sunny days in autumn, suits the late ripening cycle of Ambri and is said to enhance its aroma and colour. The apples from Bhaderwah and Bhalesa are particularly well regarded locally for their size and blush, though the total production remains small compared with the main valley orchards.

(3) Cultural and Market Significance

 In Kashmir, Ambri is more than a fruit. It features in oral histories and is often mentioned in local poetry and wedding songs as a symbol of abundance. Until the 1980s, when new high-yielding varieties began to dominate, Ambri was the main winter apple of the region. Older growers recall how families would store a few boxes for special occasions and for guests through the winter months. The fruit’s shape is slightly oblong to conical and the colour is a yellow-green base with red streaks, especially on the sun-exposed side. Because the appearance can be uneven and the yields are lower than modern cultivars, commercial cultivation has declined. However, there is renewed interest in Ambri due to consumer demand for heritage varieties and for fruit with a distinct flavour and story. Horticulture departments in Jammu and Kashmir have identified it as a variety worth conserving, and small quantities now reach niche markets in Delhi and Mumbai under the label of Kashmiri heirloom produce.

                                                 

                                          

(Pink Lady Apple of France )

                      ( Pink Lady Apple of France ) 

Pink Lady of France

(1) Origin, Season and Keeping Quality

Pink Lady is the brand name for the Cripps Pink apple, a cultivar developed in Western Australia in the 1970s and now grown under licence in several countries. In France, it has become one of the most important late-season dessert apples. The fruit is picked from late October through November, which places it in the same late-autumn window as Ambri. French growers value Pink Lady for its outstanding keeping quality. Under controlled atmosphere storage, the apples will hold their firm texture and flavour for 6 to 8 months, allowing sales well into the following summer. The skin is medium-thick and has a natural wax, which reduces shrivelling, and the flesh is exceptionally dense and resistant to bruising. These traits make it a reliable apple for supermarkets and for export. In taste panels run by French distributors, Pink Lady consistently scores high for crunch retention after storage, which is a key reason for its commercial success.

(2) Flavour, Aroma and French Terroir

The hallmark of Pink Lady is its balance. Sugar content is high, with most French lots testing between 12 and 18 degrees Brix and an average around 14.6 degrees Brix. At the same time, the acidity is pronounced, giving the apple its characteristic sweet-tart taste. The aroma is fresh and floral, often described as having notes of vanilla, rose and wild berries. When the fruit is cut, the scent is delicate rather than overpowering, but it is persistent. In France, the variety is chiefly cultivated in the southern regions where the climate provides the long, warm autumns needed to develop the pink blush and to mature the sugars. The main production areas are Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, particularly in Bouches-du-Rhone and Vaucluse, the Languedoc-Roussillon region, and the lower Rhone Valley. These areas offer high light intensity, warm days and cool nights in October, which promote colour formation and allow the fruit to hang on the tree late without frost risk. The “terroir” effect is considered important: French Pink Lady is marketed on its origin, and the licensed growers follow strict specifications for harvest maturity, colour coverage and pressure. The result is an apple that is very consistent in size, colour and eating quality, which suits the expectations of European retailers.

(3) Market Position and Consumer Perception

Pink Lady was introduced to France in the 1990s and is now one of the top three club varieties sold in the country. It is positioned as a premium apple and is supported by strong branding and advertising. French consumers associate it with health, pleasure and reliability. The brand rules require a minimum sugar level and a specific acid-sugar balance, so the eating experience is predictable across the season. Because of its tartness, it is used not only for fresh eating but also in salads and light desserts where a crisp, acid note is desired. The variety has also driven orchard modernisation in the south of France, with high-density plantings and hail nets becoming common. Although it is not a French-bred apple, it has been fully adopted by French growers and is now seen as a southern French product, much like certain wine appellations.

Sweetness Link Between the Two : Comparing Sugar and Sensory Impact

 On paper, Ambri and Pink Lady occupy the same sweetness band. Ambri records 13 to 15.9 degrees Brix, while Pink Lady in France typically measures 12 to 18 degrees Brix with an average of 14.6. This means a good box of Ambri is as high in sugar as a standard Pink Lady. The difference lies in acidity and aroma, which change how that sugar is perceived. Ambri has low titratable acidity, often below 0.4 percent, so the sweetness comes through as mellow, honeyed and rounded. There is no sharp edge, and the finish is soft. Pink Lady has much higher acidity, which makes the same level of sugar taste brighter, livelier and more refreshing. In a blind tasting, many people would describe Ambri as “sweeter” even if the Brix readings were identical, simply because the acid in Pink Lady tempers the perception of sugar. The aroma also plays a role. Ambri’s strong, room-filling fragrance sets an expectation of sweetness before the first bite, whereas Pink Lady’s lighter, floral scent leads into a crisp, tangy first impression.

Conclusion 

The two apples suit different uses despite similar sugar numbers. Ambri is preferred for eating out of hand when a purely sweet, aromatic experience is wanted. Pink Lady, with its acid balance and extreme firmness, is favoured for fresh salads, cheese boards and for consumers who like a “wake-up” bite. In terms of storage, both are late-autumn apples with excellent keeping ability, but Ambri achieves this through traditional genetics and thick skin, while Pink Lady relies on modern post-harvest technology and brand standards. For a consumer who enjoys Pink Lady but finds it too tart, Ambri offers the same level of sugar with a softer, honeyed profile. For a consumer who finds Ambri too flat, Pink Lady provides the same sweetness with added brightness. In that sense, they are complementary: two late-season, long-keeping, high-Brix apples, one shaped by the Himalayan foothills of Kashmir, Bhaderwah, Bhalesa and Batote, the other by the sun-drenched orchards of Provence and the Rhône Valley.

So , if you happen to be in Paris and looking for a sweeter apple, try Pink Lady .

( Avtar Mota)

CHINAR SHADE by Autarmota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 India License.

Based on a work at http:\\autarmota.blogspot.com\.

WEARING SCARF IN FRANCE AND KASHMIR

                                              

( French Football legend Zinedine Zidane with a scarf )

        ( French Actress Isabelle Huppert with a scarf ) 

                   ( Francois Mitterrand with a scarf)

              (Actress cum Singer Dalida with a scarf )

                      (Actor  Alain Delon with a scarf)

                         ( Albert Camus with a scarf)

                                                

                 ( Jean Paul Sartre wearing a scarf )

 ( French Poet Rene Char wearing a scarf)

WEARING SCARF  IN FRANCE  AND KASHMIR

No single inventor can claim the scarf, for its origins are as old as the need for warmth and distinction. In Ancient China, soldiers of the Qin Dynasty wore lengths of cloth about their necks as early as 230 BC, not for style but to denote rank amongst the ranks of the Terracotta Army. Rome, too, had its sudarium, literally a “sweat cloth” donned by legionaries and labourers alike to keep clean in the heat. The scarf’s leap into fashion, however, owes much to 17th-century France, when Louis XIV, taken with the knotted neckerchiefs of Croatian mercenaries, formed his Régiment de Royal-Cravates. From “Croat” came cravate, and with it the ancestor of both the modern tie and the silk scarf. Thus, whilst countless cold and dusty lands devised their own versions , from Kashmir’s woollen muffler to Egypt’s linen headdress , it was France that gave the scarf its name and turned necessity into allure.

 French people love scarves  because they blend function with identity and have become a true fashion symbol. Winters in much of France are damp and windy, so a wool or cashmere 'echarpe' keeps you warm, but it’s also worn by leading actors, statesmen, artists, sports personalities and others across generations. You’ll see them on young and old, boys and girls, men and women alike. From childhood, French kids hear ,'mets ton echarpe' before going out, and that habit sticks. The scarf instantly elevates a simple outfit and signals polish without looking like you tried too hard , that effortless chic. 

Plenty of French icons made it part of their look: Alain Delon wore slim silk scarves with open collars in ' Le Samouraï ' and off-screen, making it part of his cool, detached style. Albert Camus was photographed constantly in chunky knit scarves and trench coats . It became part of the existentialist uniform. Serge Gainsbourg rarely appeared without a thin silk scarf knotted loose, Yves Saint Laurent wore his signature black scarves year-round, and François Mitterrand had his wide felt hats and wool scarves as president. Catherine Deneuve and Brigitte Bardot turned the Hermes carre ( Hermes Silk Square scarf) into a global status symbol, Jean Paul Sartre bundled up in thick wraps at Cafe de Flore, and even Zinedine Zidane is known for tailored coats with a draped scarf on match days. Dalida herself wore flowing foulards on stage in the 70s. So it’s part weather logic, part style reflex, and part etiquette ; worn indoors and out, from the Elysee to the Metro.

In Kashmir, the scarf or muffler held equal claim during the long winter months, yet the logic behind it was uncompromisingly practical. Forget silk and elegance ; here it was heavy, hand-knitted wool, often in muted greys, browns, or deep maroons, wrapped not for the mirror but for the elements. The muffler was pulled high over the mouth and nose, tucked into the neck of a pheran , built to blunt the sting of Himalayan winds that cut down the valley from December to March. It belonged to office goers waiting for the bus at 9.30 in the morning, to shopkeepers in Lal Chowk, to old men warming their hands over a kangri. There was no pretence of fashion, no flourish for the café. It was armour against the cold, nothing more.

And when the chill lifted, the mufflers disappeared entirely. You would not see a Kashmiri wearing one in May or August, nor draped indoors as a flourish. No silk carrés, no summer linen. The scarf lived by the season ; a winter tool, packed away with the Kangri and the heavy blankets the moment the chinars began to bud.

( Avtar Mota)

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CHINAR SHADE by Autarmota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 India License.

Based on a work at http:\\autarmota.blogspot.com\.

THE PONT NEUF CAVE IN PARIS

                                           

     

                                            

                        
                                            

  ( Avtar Mota in Paris.Pont Neuf is in the background )

The Pont Neuf Cave : Street-Artist JR Transforms Paris’s Oldest Bridge into a Mountain

On a gray-skied afternoon in early June 2026, the Pont-Neuf stopped being a bridge. From the air, it looked like a chain of snow-covered peaks slicing across the Seine ,  a mirage of alpine stone and ice where cars and pedestrians usually cross. On my visit to Gallimard Publishing House ( Editions Gallimard) , I saw this amazing artistic creation. Incidentally, Albert Camus worked at a senior position  at Gallimard ,Paris from 1943  till his death in 1960  .

This is “The Pont Neuf cave”,  French photographer and street artist JR’s latest monumental illusion. For about a month, Paris’s oldest standing bridge will be  wrapped in a full-scale trompe-l’œil that has turned the  16th-century masonry into a prehistoric landscape.

Who Is JR?

 JR is a French photographer and street artist who works anonymously, recognisable only by his fedora and dark sunglasses. Born Jean Rene in Paris in 1983, he pastes monumental black-and-white photographs in public spaces to reframe how we see them ;  from making the Louvre Pyramid vanish in 2016 to turning the Pont-Neuf into a mountain cave in 2026. His projects are participatory and deliberately ephemeral: the 2011 TED Prize-winning ,'Inside Out' has seen over 500,000 portraits displayed worldwide, while, 'Face 2 Face' placed Israelis and Palestinians side by side on the separation wall. JR favours anamorphic illusions and ordinary faces on grand façades, using scale and surprise to question identity, borders and permanence. The work is free, temporary and often unauthorised; once removed, only the altered perspective remains.

The illusion  

JR’s team covered the entire span with printed fabric that mimics craggy limestone cliffs, extending the bridge’s arches into a continuous rock face. Above, inflated white volumes rise like glaciers or karst formations, their ridges and shadows painted with photographic precision. The effect is disorienting: the Pont-Neuf, inaugurated by Henri IV in 1607, appears to have been carved from a mountain rather than built across a river.

From the quays, you walk  through the cave. From above, , you can see a mountain range bisecting the city. Tour boats drift under stone arches that never existed, and the dome of the Institut de France seems to sit at the foot of a cliff.

Brief History of Pont Neuf

 The Pont-Neuf is the oldest standing bridge across the Seine in Paris, despite its name meaning “New Bridge”. Commissioned by Henri IV in 1578 and completed in 1607, it was revolutionary for its time: the first Parisian bridge built without houses, with pavements to protect pedestrians from mud and traffic, and wide enough to become a hub of public life. Spanning 232 metres, its twelve arches link the Right Bank, the Île de la Cité, and the Left Bank, anchored by the equestrian statue of Henri IV at its centre. Constructed in limestone and characterised by its series of mascarons : 381 carved stone faces along the cornices ,  it has witnessed four centuries of Parisian history, from royal processions to street theatre. Today it remains a vital thoroughfare and a beloved landmark, periodically reimagined by artists such as Christo, who wrapped it in 1985, and JR, who transformed it into a mountain cave in 2026.

Why the Pont-Neuf?

JR has a habit of targeting monuments that carry weight. He made the Louvre Pyramid vanish in 2016 and cracked open the Palazzo Strozzi in Florence in 2021. The Pont-Neuf is deliberate: despite its name, “New Bridge,” it’s the oldest in Paris. It survived revolutions, Haussmann, world wars, and Christo’s 1985 wrapping. JR’s intervention digs deeper, literally. Paris is built on limestone :  the stone for Notre-Dame and the Louvre came from quarries under the city. By turning the bridge back into raw rock, JR collapses architecture into geology, reminding Parisians that their city stands on the skeleton of an ancient sea.

The “cave” also nods to Plato’s allegory: are we looking at the bridge, or just shadows on a wall? In 2026, as Paris continues reshaping itself post-Olympics and post-Notre-Dame restoration, the piece asks what’s permanent and what’s projection.

The Logistics of An Epiphany

Like all JR’s works, The Pont Neuf cave is temporary. Installed over several nights to minimize disruption, it uses recyclable printed canvas and air-inflated structures anchored to the bridge. No stone was touched. Crowds gather daily on the Île de la Cité and Quai du Louvre, phones out, trying to catch the exact spot where masonry becomes mountain. 

By June’s end, it will be gone. The bridge will return to stone, the illusion will live only in photos like this one  and in memory. That’s the point. JR doesn’t make monuments. He makes moments that change how you see the ones that are already there.

In a city obsessed with permanence, The Pont Neuf cave is a reminder: even the oldest bridge can become something new, if only for a moment.

( Avtar Mota )

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